Original subtitles

We're going out in the jungle looking for a ghost.

No, not a paranormal ghost.

A living ghost, one that we will actually find

if we can locate its habitat.

This animal loves moving water.

So in order to find out where we need to hike tonight,

we need to use the light of day and our drone

to see where the stream systems exist on this property.

First things first, before we could fly the drone,

we've got to set it up.

And today, we are flying the DJI Mavic II Pro.

This is a really awesome drone.

But for us today, it's more of a reconnaissance tool

so we can see the area that we're going

to be adventuring in tonight.

And lift off.

All right, we are up in the sky.

Oh, man.

You know what?

There's like all kinds of clouds coming in right now.

This actually looks gorgeous.

Check that out.

So glass frogs is an aboreal frog

that lives up off the ground, love river systems

because that's where they lay their eggs

and develop their tadpoles.

Now, if we can locate water, there's a pretty good chance

that we could put ourselves there and listen

for the calls of the glass frog and then

locate the ghost glass frog.

OK, I'm going to fly due east, and we want to the ridges

and the approximate distance to get to these streams

and rivers, and hopefully get eyes

on one of the streams that's closest to us

as a starting point.

And we want to maybe sketch the shape

and some distinct features to help us get there.

OK.

So you see the ridge right in front of us?

We'll call that ridge one.

And there's definitely a secondary ridge over top of it.

And this is the great part about scouting with the drone.

You really can see the topography in an area

like Costa Rica, which is very mountainous and hilly

and just confusing at night.

I mean, right, Mario?

You can easily get turned around out there in the jungle.

But by having a map at our aid, it's

going to make tonight's expedition

that much more efficient.

This vegetation is dense.

Even from the sky, it is difficult to see

anything in those trees.

That's water.

Got it.

So you see the way that curves around?

So over ridge one, and then on the down side of ridge two,

the stream comes from the south and goes just

north and then bends back west.

Yep.

And then you see that cluster of rocks?

Yep.

I think that could be our kind of landmark,

maybe, or entry way.

Based on the fact that that was over 2,500 meters

of flight, we're going to estimate

to get down here, because of the terrain up and down,

that's going to be about another two kilometers.

OK.

Three kilometers total in hiking tonight.

And then you have a compass on your watch, which

will really come in handy. Yep.

So we've got the map.

We know where the stream is at.

All we got to do is wait until it gets dark, and, of course,

bring that drone back.

I hear it.

There it is, yeah.

So we did a manned launch.

And right now, we're going to do a catch landing.

This is not for a novice drone pilot.

Gotcha.

All right.

Well, that's a wrap on recon.

Let's head back and wait for darkness.

As you can see, night has descended upon us.

And it's time to search the rainforest

for the ghost glass frog.

Let's turn our headlamps on and hit the trail.

I'm scanning around.

I'm listening.

I do hear something coming from over here.

I think I hear a call.

Hear that?

It's coming from right up here.

Let's check this out.

Oh!

Yep, right there.

Look at that.

Our first glass frog.

Cool.

Now, first thing's first.

I'm just going to leave it alone for a second

so I can get my hands wet.

I don't want to handle a frog with dry hands.

Let me see if I can get this frog off its perch.

Come here, little guy.

Perfect.

There we go.

OK.

This is not the ilex or the ghost glass frog,

but it's actually one of the smallest species of glass frog

here in Costa Rica.

And it's the spinosa glass frog, otherwise

known as the dwarf glass frog.

One of the first distinct characteristics

you will notice about the glass frog

is besides being that really cool translucent green is

their eyes are actually set forward as opposed to the side,

like we'd see in a red-eyed leaf frog or some of the other frogs

that we have here in Costa Rica.

And that forward-set eye pattern is what gives them

that really cool Kermit the Frog look

that they're so famous for.

I think we've had it off this leaf for long enough.

Let's put it back and keep searching.

We've got a long night ahead of us

if we're going to find that ghost.

We've gone about a kilometer east so far.

And we know our final destination or the water source

that we're looking for is about three kilometers east.

Looks like we need to go a little northeast.

Mario, are you seeing that?

Yeah, according to my compass on my watch,

yeah, if we go in this direction,

it'll be kind of slightly northeast.

And then I think we'll get on that eastern trail as well.

It's funny, when you first step foot off trail,

there's always this sensation that comes over you.

It's just like a heightened awareness.

Walking on the trail feels safe.

Walking off the trail feels hazardous just by nature.

So you tend to move a little bit more deliberately,

and you see more.

It's really an awesome thing to get off trail.

We've got a little bit of ground water starting here.

That means the bigger stream is definitely nearby.

Let's head on here and get to the start of the stream.

Dude, fer-de-lance.

Where? Huge.

Let me see.

Holy smokes.

Look at its head.

Whoa!

Oh, my god.

Whoa!

That is a formidable snake right there.

Good spot, Mario.

You want the snake hook?

Uh, no.

I don't think we're going to mess with it.

Just going to get a nice shot of it.

So the fer-de-lance relies on its cryptic coloration

to blend into the environment.

And an animal in this position could stay in wait for hours

without moving a single muscle.

The name of the game is waiting when

you are an ambush predator.

And a snake like this has all the time in the world to wait

for an unsuspecting prey item.

That is exactly why you

have to watch every single step you take out

here because your next step could be on something

like that fer-de-lance.

And that would be a very bad day for us.

It looks like it's flattening out a little bit,

which is good news for us.

We can really start looking.

I just heard a glass frog, guys.

Up this way.

It's a very quick chirp.

It's like a--

Hear that?

Oh!

Guys, we got one.

Yes!

Oh, man, I knew I heard one.

All right, here we go.

Hands wet.

Going to gently take it off the leaf.

I am so excited to show you this frog.

And you're going to see why we came all

this way to show you the ghost of the rainforest, the ghost

glass frog.

How cool are those eyes?

So cryptic and so unique.

In my opinion, this frog has the coolest eyes in all of frogs

in Central and South America.

And we're going to break out the lights.

We're going to break out the macro lens.

And we're going to bring you in close

so you can get a good look at why this frog is so special.

Mario, you got that macro lens ready to go?

Yep, got the lens and the EOS R on the tripod.

And I've got the ghost glass frog.

Oh, looking right at you.

I think it sees its reflection in your lens and is like,

who's that?

That looks like me.

Hey, buddy.

Let me help you there, Mario.

OK, back it up just a little bit.

Right there.

I'm trying to remain as still as I possibly can for Mario's

shot right now, so everyone at home

can see those magnificent eyes.

Do they look cool?

Yeah.

They're kind of reticulated.

They got this pattern on them.

I'm going to pause there.

Let's try to get a different angle on him.

OK.

Just carefully nudge it this way.

How's it doing? Is it doing good?

Oh, my goodness. This frog--

That's good.

Oh, that's cool right there.

Let's get its little pads.

Yeah.

So this species does not have a completely transparent

ventrum.

However, I could see a little bit

of the white sheath of intestinal tract

inside of its stomach.

And I could actually see like the beating of the heart.

I'm glad you brought that up, Mario, because a lot of people

think that all glass frogs have a completely

transparent stomach.

And that is not true.

In fact, it is more of the exception than the rule

when that does occur.

Now, if you have seen our previous glass frog episode,

that was a species with a completely clear ventral side,

where you could actually see the heart beating and the blood

flowing through the frog, which was pretty amazing.

Another cool thing about the ghost glass frog,

it is actually the largest species

of glass frog in Costa Rica.

So kind of fitting that we started tonight with the dwarf

glass frog or the spinosa, which is the smallest,

and we land on the ghost glass frog which is the biggest,

but still pretty small.

It's winking at you.

I think he just complimented you, Mario.

It was like, wink, that's a great shot.

Well, I hope you see now why it was worth the effort to come

all the way down here to find the ghost of the rainforest,

the ghost glass frog.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you next time.

All right, let's put this guy back on his leaf and head home.

West Virginia is

without question one of my favorite places to explore.

The landscape is beautiful no matter what direction you turn,

and its collection of wildlife is unbelievably diverse.

Some of its creatures even appear as

if they are out of this world.

Several years ago, we set off into the wild alongside

herpetologist Tim Brust to seek out a living

alien known as the hellbender.

We got him!

Oh, man, Tim!

That was amazing!

The [inaudible] in the net!

Hailing as the largest salamander species

in the new world, this giant amphibian was

incredibly difficult to catch.

Yet, the reward was well worth it, as that video helped bring

attention to the conservation work Tim

and his colleagues are doing to protect West

Virginia's river ecosystems.

On this adventure, we are returning once again

to this wild and wonderful state.

Our mission is to track down and find

yet another earthbound alien.

Closely related to the hellbender,

it's fair to say that the mysterious being we now seek

is just as elusive and even more difficult to catch.

Shrouded in mystery and lore, like its larger cousins,

these salamanders are seldom seen, which leads

to a long list of questions.

We hope to answer several.

We won't be able to answer them all.

But the real question I know we all want the answer to

is whether or not the mudpuppy is capable of barking.

Now, our goal today is to head upstream

to look for a good spot with mudpuppies.

The best spots will be flat slate-like rocks.

They love to hide up underneath flat rocks or in crevices.

So we'll search for some environmental indicators

and with any luck, ultimately get our hands on a mudpuppy.

All right.

Can you hook me up?

There you go.

OK, you good?

I'm good.

All right, well, let's head to the creek.

The mudpuppy is considered a bio-indicator,

or a species whose health status within the environment,

especially in water, can tell scientists about the effects

different pollutants are having on the ecosystem.

Yikes.

Seems complicated, but it's really not.

Think of it like this.

If the water is polluted, mudpuppies can't survive.

So if mudpuppies are present, you

know it's a healthy ecosystem.

Wow.

This is really-- what you guys can't feel

is all of this sand and silt. I see what you're talking about,

Tim.

So this is not good mudpuppy spot right here

because of how silty this is.

They'll come out and forage in this.

As far as where they're hiding during the day, no.

OK.

We're trying to get b-roll of you walking through here,

actually. Oh, really?

I thought you were filming Tim, and I'm filming you.

All right, I'll keep going. Ready?

Go for it.

Like other large aquatic salamanders,

the species we are searching for loves flowing water

and flat rocks to den beneath.

These underwater cave-like structures

keep them concealed during the light of day

and provide protection from predators.

Our best chances of finding one will

come as a result of gently lifting as many rocks

as we can.

How about this one?

Nothing.

Now, the style of flipping here is to flip

the rocks very, very slowly.

The slower you lift them up, the less silt you will disturb.

And you just let the current grab the silt

and take it with it.

All right, let's work our way up around this bend

and flip some rocks.

OK, so we got a really good rock right here.

Tim, I'm going to hand you the net.

This is a good open space.

If there's a mudpuppy and it goes that direction,

I know you're going to make the scoop.

All right, here we go.

Oh, nothing.

Wow, that looks so perfect.

What you can't see on camera is there's this little cavern.

Holy mackerel!

Crayfish, crayfish!

There's a big crayfish.

Holy cow, we should try to catch this.

If you bring the net right to there, we might get him.

Let me see if I can scare him backwards.

Wow, this one's definitely worth looking at.

Got it, got it!

Scoop up, scoop up!

Wow, those are some pretty big pinchers.

Look at that.

And those pictures could put quite the hurt on you if you

got your finger in there.

And I'm sure right now you're thinking to yourself,

is Coyote going to let this crayfish pinch him?

Why not?

Let's see how powerful that is.

That's probably the right thing to do, right?

I think that's going to hurt.

I think it's going to hurt too.

Ah, do I really want to do this?

I know everybody right now is watching saying, yes, Coyote,

let's see how bad that pinch is.

He's probably going to swing that other pinch around

and get me at the same time. All right, here we go.

Ready?

1, 2, 3.

Oh!

Ah, ah!

Ooh, it's the tips that really get you the most.

Ooh, there goes the second pincher!

Ah!

Yep, you do not want to find yourself--

ooh-- inside the tips of those pinchers.

Now, it's actually the tips that are the sharpest part,

but this is the defense mechanism

of this little crustacean, pinch on to something if it picks me

up and hopefully it will set me back down into the water

and not turn me into a meal.

But this crayfish is a good sign that the environment

is incredibly healthy.

They're little filters for the environment,

so where we're finding crayfish, that

means there's the good chance of finding mudpuppies.

All right, I'm going to place this guy

back down into the water.

And with any luck, it is going to just let go of my finger

and swim right back under its rock.

Here we go.

1, 2, 3.

Now, let go.

Let go, buddy.

Oh, let go.

Still holding on.

There it goes.

That crayfish definitely was capable of drawing blood.

They may seem completely safe to catch,

but if you get them from the wrong end,

you're going to pay for it.

All right, mudpuppies.

Let's keep searching.

Searching for salamanders can be physically and mentally

exhausting, as you flip rock after rock after rock only

to find nothing more than a plume of silt,

or maybe another angry crayfish.

Yet, you constantly fight the urge

to give up because you never know what the next twist

in the river will reveal.

Wow.

OK, this is pretty ideal, right?

Yeah, it's pretty good.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to lift this one.

Let me just test it out.

Oh, jeez, that is a huge rock.

I'm not sure I'm lifting that one.

But big Tim, you think you can lift it?

I can give it a shot.

OK.

Lift it slow.

And with any luck, we'll find something under,

and I will do the scooping. Sound good?

- Yeah. - OK.

Oh, it's dark, dark, dark, dark.

I see nothing.

Oh!

Oh, oh, oh, oh!

I got one!

Mudpuppy, mudpuppy!

Look at this, look at this!

Yes!

Right there, check it out!

Yes!

We got a mudpuppy!

OK, watch your toes.

Put the rock down.

Let's go right up here on this flat rock.

The water's completely clear.

Looks like a good spot to present the mudpuppy.

OK, let's do this.

His defense slime.

There we go.

OK, now like the hellbender, this salamander

is going to be really hard to present,

so I'm going to actually use my backpack as a table.

I am going to be able to take it out of the container

periodically for us to get a good look at,

but I want to keep the amphibian submerged

and as stress-free as possible.

Let's do this to start.

Let me hold it up.

Wow.

When it's under the water like that,

you can really see those gills bloomed out to the sides.

Now, the mudpuppy appears as if it

is stuck in a perpetual state of larva form.

Most salamander species start off as larva with gills

and stay beneath the water, but the mudpuppy never

loses those gills and is in an aquatic environment

its entire life.

You'll never see one of these amphibians

up and out of the water, at least not

if it's healthy and doing well.

Now, at first when I had it in the net,

for a second I thought, well, is it a mudpuppy

or is it a baby hellbender?

You can see when it's out of the water,

its gills are pressed up against the side of its head.

That very flat blunt-shaped head,

which, of course, like the hellbender,

allows them to navigate through the environment,

wedging up underneath flat rocks.

Now, also like the hellbender, they

have these little nuptial pads on their toes.

They have four toes on the back, four toes on the front.

And they just slowly crawl along the basin

of the stream or the river.

Now, we are going to collect some biometric data

from this creature.

There, I'm going to bring it up again for you one more time.

That is just amazing.

What a bizarre amphibian.

Now, I can hold it up out of the water for a few seconds

without causing it any harm, but I

do want to continuously dip it down into the water

so that it stays hydrated.

And I imagine like the hellbender,

they're probably also capable of absorbing

some oxygen through their skin.

And also, like the hellbender, you

can see the very rudder-like tail of this amphibian.

Look at that.

Obviously, it allows them to propel themselves

forward within the water.

OK, let's bring the mudpuppy up again very gently.

Come here, little guy.

There we go.

Now, during the day, they will hide beneath rocks, obviously

to stay hidden from predators.

This is primarily a nocturnal species.

They come out at night and begin to hunt.

They may look adorable and cute, but believe it or not,

this is a voracious predator.

They'll feast upon any sort of small crayfish or invertebrate

that they come across, whether it's

a worm, tadpoles, little fish, all make

fair game for the mudpuppy.

Finding a mudpuppy is incredibly exciting,

but it's important to put as little stress on the animal

as possible, so I need to help Tim collect the biometrics as

quickly as we can.

First, we need to measure the length, which consists

of recording snout to vent and then the total length

of snout to tail tip.

Next, we need to get the salamander's weight.

Last and most important is a DNA sample.

Taken as a small sliver of skin from the tail,

it will contain an incredible amount of genetic information.

This will help Tim and his research partners

determine the health of this environment

and it may even define this specific animal as a completely

new species of mudpuppy.

OK, so at this point, we've collected the mudpuppy's

biometrics, the important science

that Tim needed to collect for his research.

But now, it's time to answer the question that you've

all been waiting for.

Why is the mudpuppy called a mudpuppy?

Well, to be honest with you, I have no idea.

It is rumored that these amphibians will make a barking

sound when they're captured.

It would sound something like this--

like a puppy.

But when we caught this salamander,

it made absolutely no sound at all.

Trust me, if it had, we would have featured it.

I guess in my opinion, they're simply

called mudpuppies because they are as cute as a puppy.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.

All right, it is time to get mudpuppy back into the creek.